Chapter 1: Cultist?
“Ten years…”
Looking at the furnishings in the secret room, Shaya opened his arms with a sense of nostalgia, as if he wanted to embrace everything in the room.
It had been exactly ten years since that incident occurred.
As a transmigrator, he had not slacked off during these years; he had diligently been preparing every day: working hard to become stronger, making money madly, collecting materials…
Everything, everything, was just for this moment.
He was quite lucky; even though it took a lot of effort to find some rare materials, he eventually managed to gather them, otherwise, it would have taken even longer.
Shaya’s full name was Shaya Adelaide. He came from Sako Province, the southernmost part of the Hiren Empire, and grew up in a small village with a population of only two hundred, where his father, a small lord, held the title of viscount.
Although it sounded quite nice, in reality, it wasn’t the luxurious and extravagant noble life one might imagine.
The only income source for the village was agricultural production besides hunting, yet the weather was damp and cold with insufficient sunlight, resulting in only one harvest per year. After selling the crops in the nearby town, the wealth gained was slashed by layers of taxes to provide for the empire, leaving very little for the villagers.
Therefore, the entire village lived in extreme poverty.
In Shaya’s impression, the main foods served at the dining table since childhood had always been dry, hard black bread and bland vegetable soup, and shortly after he learned to walk, he was forcibly dragged by his father to participate in labor.
Although his father was somewhat of a noble, the title was merely inherited from ancestors; it granted him some status but did not bestow any corresponding dignity.
For example, although the family owned a manor, it was only a few acres in size and looked quite dilapidated due to a long lack of maintenance and repair.
Shaya grew up in this small manor. Apart from his father and mother, he had a younger sister (biological) with excellent magical talent who went to study in the royal capital, and a young maid.
Poverty, stability, warmth, fulfillment… this was the true depiction of life.
Originally, Shaya thought this was some sort of daily life farming genre setup. With his content and simple nature, he actually lived relatively leisurely and peacefully. Sometimes he even felt that continuing like this, inheriting the title and manor someday, marrying the maid, and having two plump children wouldn’t be bad at all.
After all, a small border noble family like theirs, without any foundations or influence, didn’t have to worry about social status.
Thus, Shaya had no dissatisfaction with all of this, and it seemed he was no longer eagerly awaiting the awakening of any special abilities.
However, life was always full of drama.
Especially in this unreasonable world, there existed an extremely bloody term that constantly oppressed ordinary civilians, dragging them into strife, making an already difficult life even more tragic.
That term was war.
In just one night, the originally peaceful rural life collapsed completely. The illusion of a farming lifestyle was torn apart in an instant by spears and warhorses, transformed into an entirely different scene.
The sounds of weapons, horse hooves, burning fires, and screams…
When Shaya awoke from his sleep, the entire village was already soaked in blood and flames, with the Evil Executioner wearing a villainous cold smile breaking through the manor’s entrance.
His father and mother fought until the last moment to protect him, dying a brutal death.
Then it was Shaya’s turn.
These self-proclaimed invaders from a hostile nation did not spare a child who had yet to come of age; for them, life seemed as cheap as a blade of grass.
Shaya was pierced in the chest by a cold spear, nailed to the wall, blood gushing forth.
But until the very last second before dying, he kept staring fiercely at the leading Light Armored Knight without making a sound.
Seemingly provoked by the child’s gaze, the knight stepped forward, annoyed, and crushed his skull—before losing consciousness, Shaya vaguely saw that the knight’s light armor lining seemed to have a golden sun family emblem stitched into it, symbolizing the family to which this knight was loyal.
Except for the young maid who happened to be in the city for errands, only one person survived that night’s massacre.
When Shaya woke up again, the sunlight was bright.
His wounds had completely healed, even the faintest pain had disappeared, leaving only the remnants of holes in his clothes and the broken walls outside the manor, which testified to the heinous crimes of last night.
He had not died.
Not only had he not died, but he also felt an unprecedented surge of power within him.
Although it was late in coming, Shaya’s special ability from another world had ultimately awakened.
But for him at that time, it could hardly be considered a delight.
That day was Shaya’s sixth birthday.
…
Shaya opened his eyes, pulling his thoughts back, casting a glance at the silver mirror beside him.
In the mirror was a handsome black-haired boy, tall and thin, with a distant expression, hiding his entire being beneath a large, dark robe.
Surveying the small room, it was filled with all kinds of objects: piles of manuscript paper, bottles of liquid, remains of unknown creatures, shimmering magical gems… Among them, the most eye-catching was the strange pattern drawn on the wooden floor.
The pattern’s lines were extremely twisted, radiating an eerie crimson color, resembling an upside-down gaping mouth that seemed to mockingly laugh.
This was a ritual described in the forbidden book, used to communicate with certain evil and mysterious entities.
Upon closer examination, one could see that the lines forming the pattern were arranged according to rules, surrounded by many materials, each of which seemed quite valuable. These precious magical materials were what Shaya had been preparing for over the past ten years.
To gather these materials, he made money madly through various means and channels, spending over ten thousand gold coins, only managing to collect a quantity suitable for one ceremony.
It was a considerable fortune, even in the expensive royal capital, not everyone could bring forth such an amount.
After spending such a hefty price, Shaya’s only goal was to successfully complete the ritual at hand.
To become stronger.
“Now, let me confirm one last time.”
“The placement of the sacrificial materials is correct.”
“The barrier is operating normally.”
“Mental state is acceptable.”
The surrounding candles flickered dimly.
In such an environment, Shaya, focused on his work in a robe, looked like a cultist.
And in reality, what he was about to do could be deemed cultist from any angle, and it would not be an exaggeration to throw him into the Judgment Tower.
Because—
He, Shaya Adelaide, was about to initiate a ritual to communicate with the most taboo existence on the entire continent— the Extremely Evil Demoness, sealed deep within the endless Black Mist, capable of destroying the world.
Then, to be killed by her!
